Latest news with #NaismithCoachoftheYearAward
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iowa basketball hires former Drake coach Ben McCollum
After a Sunday filled with some anxiety, ESPN insiders Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello reported that Iowa has agreed to a deal to make Ben McCollum the Hawkeyes' next head basketball coach. McCollum takes over in Iowa City after one season at Drake where he guided the Bulldogs to a 31-4 (17-3 Missouri Valley) record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament's round of 32. Under McCollum's direction, 11th-seeded Drake defeated No. 6 seed Missouri, 67-57, to open up its run in March Madness before falling to No. 3 seed Texas Tech, 77-64, in Wichita, Kan. For his work this season at Drake, McCollum won Missouri Valley Coach of the Year honors and was a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award. Advertisement McCollum becomes the 23rd head men's basketball coach in Iowa history. Thamel and Borzello's report confirms a Sunday report from Hawkeye Insider's David Eickholt who reported that Iowa was working to finalize a deal with McCollum. Prior to his lone season at Drake, McCollum spent 15 seasons as the head coach at Division II Northwest Missouri State where he compiled a 394-91 record and captured four national championships. The Bearcats won 11 straight MIAA regular-season titles to end McCollum's tenure and 12 total. Before McCollum was named head coach, the program had won just four MIAA titles over the previous 62 seasons. The Bearcats went 38-0 in 2018-19 and suffered just one loss in both the 2016-17 and 2019-20 seasons. Advertisement McCollum replaces Fran McCaffery, who Iowa fired following a 17-16 (7-13 Big Ten) finish this past season. Iowa missed each of the past two NCAA Tournaments. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball hires former Drake coach Ben McCollum


USA Today
25-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida basketball head coach Todd Golden left off Coach of the Year short list
Florida basketball head coach Todd Golden left off Coach of the Year short list Florida head coach Todd Golden is one of the young coaching stars in college basketball, but leading the Gators to an SEC Tournament title, No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the program's best record in more than a decade wasn't enough to earn him a spot on the Naismith Coach of the Year Award finalists list. The selection committee announced Auburn's Bruce Pearl, Duke's Jon Scheyer, Houston's Kelvin Sampson and St. John's Rick Pitino as the four finalists on Monday. It's hard to ignore that Florida is the only No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament not to see its coach get the nod, instead adding Pitino after his second year with St. John's. In the era of name, image and likeness and the transfer portal, Golden has mastered both and assembled one of the deepest rosters in the country. Don't forget that Florida's All-America guard, Walter Clayton Jr., played for Pitino at Iona and nearly followed the legendary head coach to St. John's. Instead, Golden and his staff pushed for the Florida native to return home and won the recruiting battle. Golden is doing everything a program could ask, and he's not even 40 years old yet. Perhaps the selection committee figures that Golden will be a mainstay in the award race for years to come. It's hard to make sense of the obvious snub any other way. Of course, Golden won't be complaining any time soon about the decision to leave him off the shortlist. He's too busy trying to win a national championship and get his team set for next year. Florida could lose four of five starters from this year's team, and Golden has already secured the NIL funds to attack the portal and reload the team for another run. Raising the national championship trophy would mean a lot more than winning the Coach of the Year Award to him anyway. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.


USA Today
24-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Iowa basketball hires former Drake coach Ben McCollum
Iowa basketball hires former Drake coach Ben McCollum After a Sunday filled with some anxiety, ESPN insiders Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello reported that Iowa has agreed to a deal to make Ben McCollum the Hawkeyes' next head basketball coach. McCollum takes over in Iowa City after one season at Drake where he guided the Bulldogs to a 31-4 (17-3 Missouri Valley) record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament's round of 32. Under McCollum's direction, 11th-seeded Drake defeated No. 6 seed Missouri, 67-57, to open up its run in March Madness before falling to No. 3 seed Texas Tech, 77-64, in Wichita, Kan. For his work this season at Drake, McCollum won Missouri Valley Coach of the Year honors and was a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award. McCollum becomes the 23rd head men's basketball coach in Iowa history. Thamel and Borzello's report confirms a Sunday report from Hawkeye Insider's David Eickholt who reported that Iowa was working to finalize a deal with McCollum. Prior to his lone season at Drake, McCollum spent 15 seasons as the head coach at Division II Northwest Missouri State where he compiled a 394-91 record and captured four national championships. The Bearcats won 11 straight MIAA regular-season titles to end McCollum's tenure and 12 total. Before McCollum was named head coach, the program had won just four MIAA titles over the previous 62 seasons. The Bearcats went 38-0 in 2018-19 and suffered just one loss in both the 2016-17 and 2019-20 seasons. McCollum replaces Fran McCaffery, who Iowa fired following a 17-16 (7-13 Big Ten) finish this past season. Iowa missed each of the past two NCAA Tournaments. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vic Schaefer joins special company
After leading the Longhorns to a 31-3 record in the regular season, Vic Schaefer has joined special company. The Longhorns head coach has been named a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award. Schaefer's latest recognition comes just a few weeks after, he was named the SEC coach of the year. As Schaefer looks to add to his trophy case he has joined an impressive list. The other semifinalists include Geno Auriemma, Kenny Brooks, Mark Campbell, Dawn Staley, Shea Ralph, Wes Moore, Niele Ivey. During the regular season the only coaches Schafer lost to on that list are Dawn Staley and Niele Ivey. Due to Schaffer's efforts this year, the Longhorns have the chance to be the top seed in the Women's March Madness tournament. Schafer believes his team has made a very good case. "If you don't bring some toughness today, it's gonna be a hard day for you."Texas WBB head coach Vic Schaefer joins College GameDay ahead of the SEC Championship Game 💪 — College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) March 9, 2025 "I think our body of work and our net, you know, it speaks for itself," Schaefer said. "I think with what we've been able to do, you know. And again, I'm not in there. I'm not on that at this point. For me, it's just tell me what time the bus needs to load, where from, and I'll make sure my team's on it. But I certainly think we've established ourselves as one of the top two teams in the country when it comes to see and I know Dawn (Staley), I think (South Carolina) should be over us because they beat us twice." When tournament play begins, Schaefer's team will be one of the hardest to beat. They have an offense that includes Madison Booker and a defense led by Rori Harmon. That talented duo has frustrated opposing teams all season long. Texas is in good hands with one of the best coaches in the sport drawing up plays. Adding more hardware to his trophy case would be a nice bonus for Schaefer. He has earned SEC Coach of the Year honors three times at Mississippi State and once at Texas. This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Vic Schaefer


USA Today
14-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Vic Schaefer joins special company
Vic Schaefer joins special company Vic Schaefer named a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award After leading the Longhorns to a 31-3 record in the regular season, Vic Schaefer has joined special company. The Longhorns head coach has been named a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award. Schaefer's latest recognition comes just a few weeks after, he was named the SEC coach of the year. As Schaefer looks to add to his trophy case he has joined an impressive list. The other semifinalists include Geno Auriemma, Kenny Brooks, Mark Campbell, Dawn Staley, Shea Ralph, Wes Moore, Niele Ivey. During the regular season the only coaches Schafer lost to on that list are Dawn Staley and Niele Ivey. Due to Schaffer's efforts this year, the Longhorns have the chance to be the top seed in the Women's March Madness tournament. Schafer believes his team has made a very good case. "I think our body of work and our net, you know, it speaks for itself," Schaefer said. "I think with what we've been able to do, you know. And again, I'm not in there. I'm not on that at this point. For me, it's just tell me what time the bus needs to load, where from, and I'll make sure my team's on it. But I certainly think we've established ourselves as one of the top two teams in the country when it comes to see and I know Dawn (Staley), I think (South Carolina) should be over us because they beat us twice." When tournament play begins, Schaefer's team will be one of the hardest to beat. They have an offense that includes Madison Booker and a defense led by Rori Harmon. That talented duo has frustrated opposing teams all season long. Texas is in good hands with one of the best coaches in the sport drawing up plays. Adding more hardware to his trophy case would be a nice bonus for Schaefer. He has earned SEC Coach of the Year honors three times at Mississippi State and once at Texas.